


in other words

by TheAndromedaRecord



Series: The Zukka Shitpost Records [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Love Confessions, M/M, Pre-Slash, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, but like not to the person he actually has a crush on, yue giving zuko her blessing, zuko talks to yue but Oops its katara but Oops its actually yue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:26:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25099870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAndromedaRecord/pseuds/TheAndromedaRecord
Summary: Zuko needs to talk to someone about his crush on Sokka. He decides to talk to the moon.He doesn't expect the moon to talk back.
Relationships: Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Yue & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: The Zukka Shitpost Records [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1817854
Comments: 69
Kudos: 1577





	in other words

**Author's Note:**

> yet ANOTHER fic based on a zukka shitpost.  
> here's the post: https://ceaselesslywatched.tumblr.com/post/622812679728463872

Zuko had a problem, and that problem was named Sokka. Ever since Boiling Rock, Zuko had been developing a major crush, and he was not happy about it. Did Sokka really have to fight so well with that sword? Did he really have to grab Zuko’s hand with such firm trust? Did he really have to look so good in red? It was all rather inconsiderate of him.

He couldn’t just keep it bottled up. Every time Sokka smiled at him or laughed, Zuko felt like his chest was going to burst. Ordinarily, he’d talk to Iroh about these things…but Iroh wasn’t here. And Zuko wasn’t close enough to any of the others to talk to them about a crush. Well, except for Sokka, and that was a bad idea for obvious reasons.

He felt…guilty. Sokka had a girlfriend, after all. He’d only ever dated girls, as far as Zuko knew. There was no way Sokka reciprocated. And Zuko had a girlfriend. Sort of. No, Zuko definitely didn’t have a girlfriend, not after Boiling Rock. But he still felt guilty, because the world was unjust and Zuko never seemed to be able to stop feeling guilty.

And yet. Zuko had learned that even Suki and Toph didn’t know about Yue. Sokka had trusted him with that.

So Zuko gazed up at the full moon, filled with confusing feelings and foolish hope. There was a sort of ceremonial space in the Western Air Temple, a clearing surrounded by stone pillars and overgrown vines, circled by pools of flowing water that came from a stream higher up and cascaded off the side of the cliff. And all of it was lit by the cool light of the moon. Two royals who had given everything up for what they knew to be right stared back at it each other.

“Hey, Princess Yue,” Zuko said. “I, um. It’s me, Zuko. You might remember me? From the Northern Water Tribe? I’m sorry for what I did. I—I’ve changed, I promise.”

He flopped onto his back on the warm stone of the temple, feeling a bit stupid. But he needed to talk to someone.

“I have a question I need to ask you,” he continued. “Or, well, um, not quite a question? I need advice, I guess, and maybe I’ll be thinking more clearly if I say everything out loud. It’s about Sokka.”

“What do you need?” said a soft, melodious voice, a voice that was mysterious and yet somehow intimately familiar. Zuko yelped and nearly jumped out of his skin.

“P-princess Yue?” he asked, barely daring to hope.

“Yes,” the voice replied.

“Wow,” Zuko laughed. “Wow, I didn’t think you’d actually talk to me. Um, Sokka misses you, by the way. “

“He told you about me?”

“Yeah. I was surprised, too. I’m not…I’m not really someone who inspires confidence.”

The disembodied voice of the moon hummed in agreement.

“What is it you are confused about?” Yue asked.

Zuko sighed. “I think I’m falling for your ex-boyfriend. Sorry. I know that I’m probably the last person you’d want for him. That he’d want for him, for that matter. I’m…I’m not nearly as good of a ruler’s child as you were.”

Yue didn’t reply. Zuko took that as an invitation to continue.

“He’s just so funny, and he’s so determined to help people…he’s hot, he’s nice, he’s so smart and amazing and he seems to actually want to be friends with me, which is…not what I was expecting. I can’t believe he trusts me as much as he does.”

“You and me both,” Yue muttered, which Zuko thought was a little bit uncalled for.

“I’m sorry for burdening you with this,” Zuko told her. “I’m sure you have a lot of important moon spirit things to do. I just…I had to talk with someone. To make sure I wasn’t imagining things. I’m…I’m not doing anything wrong, am I? What do I do?”

“Hmmm,” Yue replied. “I don’t think you should do anything. He’s dating someone, and even if he wasn’t, he doesn’t like boys, and even if he did, he wouldn’t go for you.”

Zuko winced. Of course Sokka wouldn’t like him. Zuko was awkward and evil until recently. Half his face was marred by a hideous scar and he had no idea how to interact with people or do much of anything but shoot fire. Sokka was way out of his league.

“You’re right,” he sighed. “So, uh, how are things?”

“Fine.”

“Okay. Good. Cool. I’m gonna go back to bed and try to stop having feelings for my best friend.”

“Your best friend?” Princess Yue scoffed. Zuko didn’t remember her being this judgemental.

“Well, yeah. I mean, it’s not like there’s anyone else.” Zuko self-consciously touched his face and found that he was smiling. “It’s nice to have a best friend.”

“But not if you’re in love with him.”

“Okay, look, I’m not in love! I’m just…I just have a few feelings, okay! And I can be friends with him and have feelings for him. I-it’s fine. Everything’s fine.”

“Well, good luck with that.”

“Yeah! Yeah, I will have good luck with that! You go do your…moon things!”

“I will!” Yue snapped back.

Zuko made a noise of frustration and let out a blast of fire into the bushes near one of the ponds. There was a yelp and rustle, and Katara fell out of the bushes. Zuko froze.

“Katara?” he squeaked.

“Watch where you’re shooting those!” she yelled, and…oh no. Oh no, now he realized why that voice was familiar.

“You! You were…you were pretending to be…”

Katara stood up and brushed off her clothes. “I was practicing. It’s the full moon.”

“Why the fuck would you…” Zuko twisted his hands in his hair and let out a scream through gritted teeth. “I can’t believe you!”

“Well, I wasn’t just going to stand by and let you think you could date my brother!” Katara snapped. “It’s not like I told you any lies or anything!”

Zuko’s face burned. He couldn’t believe he’d been so stupid as to talk about his feelings where people could hear.

“Please don’t tell him,” Zuko begged.

Katara folded her arms. “I won’t, but NOT because you told me not to. You’re not telling him either.”

“Fine!”

“Fine!”

Katara stormed off and Zuko collapsed on the ground, putting his head in his hands. This was bad. This was very bad. There was no way anything constructive was happening with his feelings now.

“Oh, princess Yue,” he sighed, “we’re really in it now.”

He sat there for a long time, staring at the moon. The moon reminded me of Sokka, funnily enough. It was just as beautiful. He probably wasn’t going to sleep that night.

Katara was definitely going to kill him.

“I think he likes you.”

“Go away, Katara,” Zuko growled, looking around wildly for where she was hiding. “I’m not…” he trailed off as he looked up. There, floating in the sky, ethereal and spun of moonlight, was princess Yue. The moon spirit.

Zuko scrambled to his feet and bowed to her. She laughed, a little giggle that danced over his ears like starlight.

“Princess Yue,” he breathed.

Princess Yue didn’t reply. She floated down until they were face to face, and pressed a cool kiss to his forehead.

“You are a spectacular ruler’s child,” she told him, and something in Zuko’s stomach settled. “One day, give Sokka a kiss for me?”

“I will,” Zuko promised as she faded into beams of moonlight.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr at theandromedarecord!


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